Vendetta
by Mymiriel
Summary: Legolas has a secret in his past, one that eventually comes back to haunt him and Aragorn.


Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING PERTAINING TO LORD OF THE RINGS. There. I said it. Now don't sue me.

Summary: Legolas has a secret in his past, a painful one. It comes back to haunt him years after the fellowship.  
  
Prologue  
  
Two small elves played in the fallen leaves near their home of Greenwood. They ran through piles of orange and red foliage, laughing and enjoying the small bursts of color.

"Come on, Legolas!" one child laughed, running swiftly through the trees, away from him companion. His short golden brown hair flowed behind him with the wind and partway down his back. Light brown eyes sparkled with mirth as he ducked behind a tree, hiding from his 'hunter'.

There was more crackling of dry leaves to be heard, and another small elf appeared around the piles, laughing gaily as he chased after his friend. His hair shined in the sunlight that filtered through the canopy of leaves high above him that had yet to fall. The elf's blond hair sparkled in a way that made it seem as though the very sun was crowning his head. Piercing blue eyes narrowed in confusion as he peered around the small clearing he was sure his friend had just run to.

"Nifilwe?" he called, wondering to where he disappeared. "Where are you?" he said quietly, to himself. When no answer to his call was forthcoming, he began to circle the clearing cautiously, somehow knowing his friend was there somewhere, even without visual confirmation of that thought. Finally he got a sign he was waiting for. A twig crackled behind him, and he spun about, a triumphant grin already spreading as he won their game. Or so he thought.

Nifilwe stood from behind the tree, looking around for Legolas. He had slowly grown tired of waiting to startle his friend as his unusually small amount of patience had run out. Young elves such as himself and Legolas usually had little of the virtue that grown elves were notorious for. He walked along slowly, still calling out for the other elf as he went. Suddenly he heard a cry in the distance, and he knew it was the one he was seeking without a doubt. He dashed in the direction the cry had originated from, fervently and silently praying for the well being of his friend.  
  
The grin slid from his face as he came face to face with the largest orc he had ever had the misfortune to lay his eyes on Legolas hadn't actually seen many orcs, and the ones he had seen had mainly been in the books he had been forced to read as a part of his training as a prince and future warrior, and on one occasion, a dead orc that a soldier had disposed of. Still, this one was quite large, even to an elf that had frequently seen orcs. To Legolas, being the size of a ten-year-old human, it seemed like an Oliphaunt. A startled cry escaped his lips as fear began to overtake his heart. The grin he has once worn now spread across he face of the orc before him as the small elf began to back away.

Legolas's eyes widened as he backed up, and consequently got a clear view of the space past the orc. There were at least seven more of the foul creatures flanking the first large one, all just as big and all wearing the same feral grin. The first one spoke, his voice an unpleasant mix of a grunt and a screech.

"Well, well, well, what have we here? A little one gone astray?" With the creatures words the prince realized exactly how far he was from the castle. He felt guilt wash over him as he thought of his father's constant warnings of paying attention to where one is headed when one leaves the castle walls, because the forests surrounding the civilization weren't very safe for one so small. The magnitude of the situation at hand struck him like an iron fist. He felt his hands trembling as he continued backing away.

The orc got tired of his attempt at backing out of the clearing and shot out a hand that twisted itself into the front of Legolas's tunic. It yanked him forward; until he was so close he could smell and feel the foul breath of the orc upon his face as it spoke. He twisted madly, trying to break the grip the creature had on him. It let out a harsh laugh at his attempts. "You're not goin' anywhere, lad." Legolas grimaced and shuddered as the orc ran a finger down the side of his face with mock tenderness. "My friends and I would like to have a bit o' fun with you first." His 'friends' grins grew wider and they brandished their weapons menacingly.

The fear that had been growing within him intensified until it reached a whole different level at the orc's last words. He desperately shoved aside the fear and tried to think of a way to escape the situation, even though he knew that unless the orc put him down he wouldn't be able to do much of anything. This realization certainly didn't make him happy. He had heard plenty of stories of what happened to elves that participated in 'play time' with orcs, and those stories hadn't exactly been ...pretty. Legolas kept up his struggle, attempting to pull the orc's hands off of his tunic and twist away. All it did was cause the creature to tighten his hold.

Legolas began to lose hope of ever getting away when he looked at the orc and saw that it seemed to be enjoying his struggle. He wasn't one to give up, but this situation really seemed like a dead end. Just as he was going to give in to the inevitable, he heard his name shouted from somewhere behind him. The prince craned his neck around to see what new development had occurred.

Nifilwe burst through the trees into the clearing and shouted for his friend. His eyes widened in horror at the sight of his closest friend in the hands of foul beings. The brown haired elf's mind raced as he too attempted to come up with a plan, for he knew the situation how now reached a dire point. Looking closely at Legolas, he could envision the wheels turning beneath the mane of blond hair, judging from the way his eyes darted about the clearing and his struggles ceased some. Suddenly an idea struck Nifilwe, and he attempted to catch Legolas's eye to convey to him his idea. The orcs finally seemed to collect themselves from the shock of having another elf run straight to them, and began jeering, completely overjoyed at this addition of a plaything. Nifilwe realized this and began to back away, in much the same fashion as Legolas had done prior to having the orc grab him. One of the other orcs became just as bold as the one that held Legolas, and advanced towards him. Little did he know, he was playing his part in Nifilwe's plan perfectly.

When the orc was close enough, the elf pretended to be paralyzed with fear, then dashed to the side and straight at the orc that was holding his companion. It was such an unexpected move that Legolas's captor jumped back in shock, inadvertently loosening his hold on the prince. It was only for a second, but a second was all the flaxen haired elf needed to break away from the creature's clutch. He ran as fast as he could, which was quite fast, at Nifilwe, grabbing his friend's arm and dragging him out of the clearing with him.

In unspoken agreement, they both leaped into the first tree they reached and began to run through the boughs. The trees themselves seemed to understand the young elves' need for haste, and branches shifted to better accommodate their slight weight and keep them from falling. The elves had expected to escape, but it seemed as though the orcs were very intent on apprehending them. Black arrows screeched around them, and they briefly wondered if it was the orc's speed that made such a rapid, constant barrage, or if there were many more below them than they thought. Both fervently hoped that the latter of the two ideas wasn't the case.

"Legolas!" Nifilwe called. "_Lye cael usin sine yamen! Ron tuluva ndengina lye!_ We must get away from here! They will kill us!" Legolas nodded, and changed direction, knowing Nifilwe would follow him. His friend trusted in his ability to navigate the forest, knowing Legolas was connected to Greenwood in a way that most elves weren't. They swung down out of the trees, and hit the ground running. Elven ears easily picked up the sounds of advancing orcs, not very far behind them. Everything faded to a blur to the elven prince as his mind forged a plan. All they had to do, he thought, is to reach the waterways that led beneath the castle and they would be alright. He knew the way to open the gates and get in; all they had to do was swim.

Arrows flew at them, striking the ground, the trees, thin air inches from their bodies. Their lungs burned from the exertion of running for so long in zigzagging patterns to avoid the arrows, but their hope had yet to be lost. They were almost there....

Legolas stopped dead in his tracks, stumbling when Nifilwe's momentum caused the brown-eyed elf to run into the prince's back. Nifi stared at his friend in confusion.

"Legolas, what—"he trailed off as he followed Legolas's gaze of disbelief to the answer to his question. Somehow, the orcs had split rank and managed to get in front and behind them. Their earlier guess at there being more orcs than they were aware of was also proven true, much to their chagrin. "How..." he breathed. Suddenly Legolas grabbed his arm and leaped into the tree above them. The swung up into the higher areas and stayed put. The orcs shouted and swarmed at the base of the tree as Nifilwe began to move through it slowly. The limbs of this particular tree were dry and slightly brittle, making it hazardous to be in, let alone move about. Legolas had begun to carefully follow his friend, when he paused. His ears had picked up a peculiar cracking sound. His lips formed an "O" of surprise and terror as he realized what the sound signified.

"Nifi!" he cried urgently. Nifilwe spun around on the branch and tried to get back just as it gave a final crack and snapped in two. Nifilwe plunged through the air, out of the reach of Legolas before he could react. Nonetheless, the elf made a lunge for his comrade anyway, trying to seize his friend's flailing hands, nearly falling from the tree himself in his attempt. The orcs stood below, already prepared to catch him. Regrettably, he fell directly into their waiting arms. Nifilwe called for Legolas once before disappearing into the horde. The orcs immediately split again, one third of the group leaving with a struggling Nifilwe, and the other two thirds clustered around the tree Legolas was now stranded in. They had effectively cut him off from his friend, and the ground as well. The prince pressed against a branch and stayed perfectly still, even as grief overtook his heart. He made himself as least visible as possible, while considering his options. Tears pressed into his eyes as he realized his options were few; to leap out of the tree and attempt going after his friend, which would get him killed or captured, or stay in the tree and be shot down by their arrows, in which case he would simply die. The need to help his friend weighed his heart and his decision. Legolas crouched, preparing to spring out of the tree in the direction of the least amount of orcs and the way his friend had been taken, completely resigned to save Nifilwe or die trying.

Before the leap that would probably be his last could be made, he heard a shout and arrows rained down from seemingly thin air upon the opposing force. The orcs scattered, some falling with arrows through chests, necks, and hearts. Elven archers flowed into the area below the tree, and Legolas recognized them as the gate guards.

Soon the clearing was empty, of all save the guards and the dead bodies of the orcs. Legolas dropped from the tree and raised his hands in the signal of peace as he was met with the business end of about half a dozen bows. The guards immediately lowered their weapons as they recognized who was running toward them. One guard that Legolas knew very well moved forward and met the little elf halfway, confusion and surprise warring in his eyes.

"Prince Legolas?" he questioned, in a tone that clearly said, "What are you doing here?" At once Legolas began speaking, words rushing from his mouth with a tone of fear and sadness at the speed of an arrow. Urgency was prominent in his melodious voice as well.

"Eolamuen! They took Nifilwe! We have to find him!" The guard nodded grimly, then stood from the crouch he had been in to speak to the small one and addressed his warriors.

"Two groups. Fan out and search. The orcs have Nifilwe with them." Nifilwe was well known in the palace, for he and Legolas were always causing mischief in one way or another within its walls. The guards gave a shadow of a nod before they split into the specified groups and left quickly, melting into the forest before one could even remember they had been there. Eolamuen took the prince's hand and began leading him in the direction of the palace gates. Legolas looked up at him, while trying to remove his hand from the guard's firm grip.

"I want to go help Nifi!" The guard stopped walking and turned to Legolas.

"I know you want to help, little one, but right now this is much too dangerous a place for you. You have to return to the king and queen." Legolas's eyes filed with tears of guilt, angry with himself for not catching his friend when he was falling. To learn that he couldn't even help look for his close friend.... Eolamuen's heart melted at the sight of his prince standing there defiantly, attempting to keep his tears back. Stooping, he scooped Legolas into his arms and stood, resuming his walk back to the palace while attempting to comfort the little elf. "Everything will be alright, Legolas, have no fear. All will be fine."

Legolas looked back over the guard's shoulder, feeling that it wouldn't be 'alright' or 'fine'. A grievous dread settled over him, even while he sent a silent prayer to the Valar for his friend's safety.

Ok, now you have the back-story. Tell me what you think!! Reviews are always fun...unless they're um...flames. .... He he...tell me what you think if it's a good thing. :-D


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